When your phone sounds a loud emergency alarm in Korea, check the alert type, location and time first. Korean alerts have three main tiers: Critical (위급) for an immediate threat to life or national security, Urgent (긴급) when evacuation or restrictions may be required, and Safety Advisory (안전안내) for precautions such as heat waves or fine dust.
What to do in seven steps
- Take a screenshot if you need time to read, then identify 위급, 긴급 or 안전안내 on the first line.
- Look for 훈련, 민방위훈련 or 실제상황 아님, which may indicate a drill.
- Find the district or neighborhood and the time to decide whether the alert affects you.
- Pick out action words such as 대피 (evacuate), 통제 (restricted), 자제 (refrain), 우회 (detour) and 중지 (stop).
- If the message says 대피 or there is an immediate danger, move to safety before spending time on translation.
- Cross-check the message through the SafeKorea portal, the Safety Step app or the foreigner-focused Emergency Ready App.
- Call 119 for fire or medical emergencies and 112 for crime or threats. Call 1345 for immigration and residence support, or 1330 for tourist interpretation assistance.
Translation, settings and useful vocabulary
Other frequent terms include 즉시 (immediately), 침수 (flooded), 낙뢰 (lightning), 산사태 (landslide), 지진 (earthquake), and 화재 or 산불 (fire or wildfire). Stop outdoor activity during lightning, avoid underpasses and streams during flooding, move away from slopes when a landslide warning appears, and follow evacuation guidance while avoiding smoke during a fire.
Emergency alerts are delivered according to your phone’s cell-tower location, so no separate signup is normally needed. Check that emergency and public-safety alerts are enabled in your iPhone or Galaxy notification settings. If the English information is incomplete, translate a screenshot with Papago or Google Lens and use the government’s Emergency Ready App to check alerts, safety instructions, shelters and embassy contacts.
Quick takeaway
Read the tier, location, time and action verb first. Follow an evacuation order immediately, confirm details through an official channel, and call 119 or 112 when life or safety is at risk.
Read the full guide, including phone settings and smishing checks →